(details)
(details) The penetration zone of C/116 and 5/Rgr with the 2 hedges of stunted pines
(details)
33
In the Dog White area, several groups of the 116th Regiment and Rangers climb the cliff
and occupy the town of Vierville, around 11:00 am on 6 June
On the Dog White area that extends from the Defortescu villa to the Richard villa, many penetrations through the cliff were carried out from 8:00 am by very different groups in importance, since Isolated To the 700 men of the CieC/116 and the 5th Battalion of Rangers, passing through platoons of a few men (section Williams of the B/116), a small and isolated section (section Taylor of the B/116), and the Cies A and B/2Rgr.
--- The most important penetration was carried out around 0800, on a front of 300m, by the Company C of 116°Infantry Reg. by the 5° Rangers Battalion and some elements of other units.
These about 700 infantrymen left the area between the 1st cemetery and the Richard villa, mounted on the cliff. At the top in small groups, troops tended to stop in the first fields near the cliff ridge. The disorder settled when they mixed up with the units that followed.
Although there were no active enemy positions in the immediate vicinity, snipers and long-range machine guns harassed the troops, who were to remain sheltered; for a short period, shell fire added to the confusion.
The "Command Group" of 116th Reg. spent a lot of time putting everything in order.
It took two hours before a significant advance was initiated after 10:00, towards Vierville for the CieC/116 or to bypass Vierville by the South for the 5th Ranger).
Company C/116, accompanied by General Cota, entered Vierville at approximately 11:00 a.m. without objection. The Rangers who had been blocked south followed them around 5:00 p.m.
.
But other smaller groups had infiltrated faster and arrived long before in Vierville,
1/ an isolated section of the Cie B/116 (Lieutenant Taylor) arrived at 9am and had pushed to the Ormel immediately.
2/ of Rangers of Cies A and B 2nd Battalion, which had neutralized the WN70 by crossing it, and had entered Vierville also, probably between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.
See souvenirs of Michel Hardelay (page 3131) On the American entrance at 9:00 in Vierville.
3/ further east, another isolated section of the Company B/116 (Lieutenant Williams) climbed the cliff quite quickly. The group (no more than 8 valid men) of Cie B/116 left, climbed by the cliff towards the Moulins and was arrested by a machine gun. Lieutenant Williams tried to attack him alone, was injured and ordered his men to return to Vierville. Sergeant Pearce then led the small group across fields and through the Hamel-au-Prêtre road to Vierville, already cleaned up by Lieutenant Taylor's group to which he went in Vierville.
4/ To the same place, the survivors of 3 sections of CieF/116 ships forgot to the right without opposition and joined the 5th Rangers Battalion in their efforts around Vierville
On the other hand, Command Group of 116th Regiment (page 35), which was on the beach before 8:00 a.m. (Colonel Canham, accompanied by General Cota, representing the 29th Div), in the same place as Company C and the 5th Ranger, had arranged the departure of these units. At 8:30 a.m., the last groups left the seafront and the Command Group of 116th Reg. temporarily settled halfway up the cliff.
The transmission section of HQ 116 had landed east of the Moulins. Unsuccessful efforts have been made to reach Division units with an SCR 300 radio station (the only radio operating, that of the liaison officer of the 743th Battalion of Chars).
At about 9:00 a.m., the Command Group moved to the top and then followed Company C/116. He entered Vierville late in the morning.
He was completely isolated from the rest of the 29th Div., Colonel Canham, at that time had no contact with his headquarters. battalions (the 1st was isolated under the point of the Percaea, the 2nd and 3rd were with their troops beyond Saint-Laurent). He did not know what was going on at the foot of the valleys of Vierville and St-Laurent and could only assume that his other 2 assault battalions were on their way to the assembly areas south of Vierville.